Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:13.840> So um of specific training programs. So um of specific training programs.
• I believe both... mention like specifically IT training mention like specifically IT training certificate
• significant number of the training significant number of the training providers<00:08:58.000>
• grant or being eligible training providers on the eligible training provider list and accessing WIOA
• grant or being eligible training providers on the eligible training provider list and accessing WIOA

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up a series of “same and similar” provisions between the House and Senate higher education bills and adopted them one by one, with brief explanations from members and staff. The items included a cybersecurity addition for a doctoral degree program, Northstar Promise definitions and eligibility limits, self-loan provisions on institution eligibility and data disclosure, and dual training language requiring certificates, diplomas, or degrees to come from accredited postsecondary institutions. The committee also adopted an amendment to the private career school provisions that clarified exempt institutions remain within the act, and removed certain limited-license and renewal fees for institutions participating in dual training grants or the eligible training provider list. Each of these motions prevailed by voice vote. The committee then moved into policy differences between the House and Senate bills, beginning with emergency grants and hunger-free campus grants. Members discussed shifting funding from OHE-administered competitive grants to direct appropriations for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State, while the Senate retained competitive grant access for private and tribal colleges and added reporting requirements. OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said the added reporting would be an extra administrative task but raised no significant concerns. Testifiers from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State, and the private college sector supported faster, more direct funding and described the grants as important for emergency housing, transportation, food insecurity, and other student basic needs. A LeadMN representative also supported the changes, saying campus staff and students wanted funds delivered more quickly. The committee also discussed direct admissions on R31. The Senate proposal would require public and charter high schools to participate in the direct admissions program by the 2029-2030 school year. Assistant Commissioner Wendy Robinson said OHE supports statewide expansion and that the program has improved FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and student retention in Minnesota. Members noted the bill had bipartisan support and heard from advocates such as Ed Allies and Students United. No votes were taken on the policy-difference items during this portion of the meeting, and the chair said further discussion of state grant and sexual misconduct policy differences would be held at a later hearing with additional OHE staff present.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a pediatrician by training.
• And so that helps support the training at the higher ed place.
• , because I know there’s a peer training they can do.
• There’s a centralized cost for the training.
• There's a centralized cost for the training.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Only trained law enforcement professionals should be armed in these situations.
• They're trained people. They're not irresponsible people. They're trained people.
• They're trained people.
• training of police officers have.
• It should only be trained personnel who are responsible for the security of the campus.

Bills: S0118, S0896, S1690, S1756

Keywords: recreational vehicle parks, special assessments, property tax, occupancy rates, commercial assessment, school safety, guardian program, firearms, crimes near schools, security assessments, public postsecondary education, medical freedom, vaccination, ivermectin, healthcare practitioner liability, immunization exemptions

Summary: The committee first took up CS for SB 896, a school safety bill expanding the Guardian program to public postsecondary institutions. The bill requires active assailant response plans, security risk assessments, threat-management protocols, use of the suspicious activity reporting tool, and allows voluntary participation in Guardian for colleges and universities. A late-file amendment by Senator Polsky was adopted to clarify that students who are also employees or faculty are not eligible for Guardian. Members debated campus carry concerns, storage of firearms, and whether the bill could lead to broader gun access on campuses. Several faculty and gun-safety advocates testified against the bill, while supporters argued trained guardians can deter violence. The committee reported the bill favorably by roll call vote. The committee then approved CS for CS for CS for SB 1690 on child care and early learning services. The bill updates child care laws, clarifies regulations, and reduces overregulation of before- and after-school programs. An amendment expanded authority for the Florida Education Foundation to fundraise for early learning from birth to VPK. Testimony was largely supportive, emphasizing affordability, access to quality child care, and relief for working families, though one speaker opposed the bill as an expansion of government. The bill was reported favorably. Next, the committee passed CS for CS for SB 118, which clarifies how non-ad valorem special assessments are applied to recreational vehicle parks and limits the square footage used for assessment purposes to the maximum size of an RV space. The committee also approved CS for CS for SB 1220, the Department of Transportation package, which addresses seaport and airport planning, personal delivery devices, autonomous vehicles, advanced air mobility, toll programming, and other transportation-related changes. Amendments modified provisions on personal delivery devices, utility permits, autonomous vehicle penalties, and law-enforcement cruiser lights. Both bills were reported favorably. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1756, the medical freedom bill, which proposes new vaccine information requirements, conscience-based school immunization exemptions, limits on compelled vaccination during public health emergencies, and behind-the-counter access to ivermectin for adults. The sponsor and supporters framed the bill as strengthening informed consent and parental rights, while opponents and some senators raised concerns about vaccine hesitancy, herd immunity, and the inclusion of ivermectin. Public testimony was extensive and sharply divided. The transcript ends during continued testimony and debate on SB 1756, before a final vote is taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have trained over 6,345 first responders in veterans. We conduct this training in person.
• After this training, after training the police department, the police officer who ultimately arrested
• So, we know that this training works.
• We've done training across the country also on just VJI.
• , which is unique training that we're seeing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've also been impressed by watching the people who are there, training and working, and the quality
• and working in the quality of training and working in the quality of people<00:20:32.559> and
• retention as well as ADD training retention as well as ADD training opportunities<00:24:59.720><
• <00:25:57.880> and<00:25:58.000> our<00:25:58.279> board residency training
• One is recruitment and expanding training capacity for bringing up the future of veterinarians.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a primary care doctor, trained in internal medicine.
• I am a primary care doctor, trained in internal medicine.
• So what comes along with that is we need training—not just training for our types of people, but the
• So in this, I have seen this training work.
• And first responder naloxone in training that we're ending on today was cut.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a primary care doctor, trained in internal medicine.
• Best practice number three: training our general health...
• So what comes along with that is we need training.
• So what comes along with that is we need training.
• So in this, I have seen this training work.

Summary: The task force meeting opened with new leadership announcements, including Senator Nick Schroer thanking outgoing chair Representative John Black and naming Representative Del Taylor as vice chair. After some initial technical difficulties with audio and Zoom, members reviewed the task force’s statutory charge under Missouri law: to hold hearings on substance use, explore solutions, draft or modify legislation, and produce recommendations for prevention and treatment. The chair said the goal for this year is to develop concrete legislative ideas for the next session, with hearings focused first on field experts and later on alternative therapies and the Department of Mental Health. Dr. Rachel Winograd gave the first major presentation, describing Missouri’s overdose crisis as increasingly complex and driven primarily by fentanyl, now compounded by xylazine and metatomidine. She said overdose deaths have declined for a third straight year, with preliminary 2025 data around 1,200 deaths, and attributed the decline to a smaller fentanyl supply, wider naloxone availability, and fewer young people entering use. Her main recommendations were to focus on reducing harm rather than trying to eliminate drug use, expand evidence-based medications for opioid use disorder—especially methadone and buprenorphine—improve access to naloxone, and loosen methadone regulations, including take-home doses, the federal 72-hour rule, and broader methadone units. She also emphasized that peer support, housing, transportation, and other practical supports matter, and noted that naloxone can still reverse fentanyl overdoses even when tranquilizers are present. Dr. Heidi Miller, the state medical director, followed with two recommendations: integrate substance use disorder care into whole-person health care and follow the science when considering substance-related legislation. She argued that primary care, maternal health, workforce training, EMS, public health, and methadone access should all be part of a coordinated model, and said reimbursement should support teams rather than isolated providers. She also urged stronger enforcement of parity between behavioral health/SUD and physical health coverage, and highlighted tobacco and alcohol as major, under-addressed causes of death in Missouri. Dr. Doug Burgess then reinforced the need for a coordinated continuum of care, comparing substance use treatment to the seamless system used for heart attacks, and said patients should have standardized assessment, discharge planning from day one, transition coordinators, peer recovery coaches, and better information-sharing between levels of care. Members asked questions about relapse, treatment court, EMS referral barriers, reimbursement, and whether buprenorphine can be started in the field; no votes were taken, and the meeting ended with plans to continue hearing testimony and use it to shape future policy recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Such personnel must annually acknowledge receipt of training.
• Such personnel must annually acknowledge receipt of training.
• Is this training? Senator Davis in question. Thank you, Mr. President.
• It says it's a free training. Thank you, Mr. President.
• So we're up there, it says it's a free training.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer, and heard several announcements and recognitions, including remarks from the new Democratic caucus leader, Senator Berman, who emphasized bipartisan work on education, health care, the environment, and family issues. The chamber also recognized military leaders, an intern, and guests connected to later bills. No committee reports or executive messages were on the desk at the start of the session. The Senate then took up a series of bills, many of them with House companion substitutions and technical amendments. Major measures included the Pam Rock Act on dangerous dogs, which passed 36-0; a local government land regulation bill that was amended after questions about quasi-judicial hearings, impact fees, and county costs, then passed 26-8; a vessels/boating bill that incorporated related legislation and passed 35-0; a blood clot screening and treatment bill creating the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, which passed 36-0; a fleeing or eluding law enforcement bill, amended to remove vehicle impoundment in the House version, which passed 36-0; a concealed carry/firearms bill for certain law enforcement and military personnel, which passed 33-3; and a timeshare management bill, which passed 36-0. The chamber also passed a disability history and awareness instruction bill, the Evan B. Hartzell Act, after extensive debate about language and the meaning of disability versus “unique abilities”; it received 35 co-sponsors and passed 35-0. Other bills passed included manufacturing and related fee legislation, public education on background screening requirements, utility service restrictions, educational opportunities for military children, Medicaid oversight, health facilities authorities, and veteran and spouse nursing home beds, most by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on human trafficking, waste management, Bright Futures, mammogram coverage, Parkinson’s disease, and others.

Transcript Highlights:

• But can you speak, uh, from a nonpartisan state, what do we train chairs to do about DE amendments?
• We do, uh, provide training for chairs of both caucuses.
• We do uh provide training Department.
• Um<00:14:39.280> during<00:14:39.520> the<00:14:39.600> training<00:14:39.959>
• Um during the training we we typically do<00:14:41.320> talk<00:14:41.640> about<00:14

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We train and send our inspectors and all of our supervisors to training all the time.
• We're sending them every week to trainings on how to detect this.
• And once we get them trained, we keep them in these positions, having vacant.
• We're providing training.
• The more training we can find, we're focusing more on our training every day and trying to keep our staff

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And what we could do is have everyone trained to maybe have a different way.
• And what we could do is have everyone trained to maybe have a different way.
• , and training trainers across the state.
• So they need training. Representative Nelson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• They do really good training with their teams. They have the latest data.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee was called to order, the roll was taken, and the March 18 minutes were approved. Members then received several project and program updates, beginning with CHI St. Alexius’s behavioral health buildouts in Bismarck, Williston, and Grand Forks. St. Alexius reported that the Bismarck project remains on track for June 2027 completion, with demolition underway and final design work nearing completion. Williston reported construction is progressing, staffing recruitment is underway for psychiatrists and other staff, and an air handler replacement is creating a roughly $750,000 unbudgeted barrier that will slightly delay the timeline. Grand Forks reported its expansion is about 30% complete, with no major barriers beyond weather, and leaders said the project should be substantially complete in the first quarter of 2027. The Department of Health and Human Services then presented a series of budget and program updates. Donna Ockland explained several recent line-item transfers as technical corrections that net to zero and do not require new spending, then reviewed salaries, wages, and FTE counts, noting the department remains within its authorized staffing levels. Pat Rainer followed with an update on the Rural Health Transformation Program, saying 12 opportunities have been posted, 422 applications received, and $8.4 million obligated so far, with a goal of obligating the full $199 million by September. He described grants for workforce retention, rural rotations and housing, community gardens, school wellness, behavioral health promotion, safety net services, equipment, technology, EMS, and other initiatives, emphasizing that the program is intended to be transformational and tied to metrics. Members asked extensive questions about how rural eligibility is defined, how grants will support both rural facilities and hub hospitals, and how future years of funding will build on current awards. The committee also heard an update on certified community behavioral health clinics from Elena Zeller, who said North Dakota has been accepted as a demonstration state, implementation is underway in Williston, North Central/Minot, Fargo, and Dickinson, and care coordination and service counts are increasing. Rebecca Askins then reviewed SNAP payment error rates, saying the 2025 rate was finalized at 9.89%, with the state aiming to get below 6% through policy updates, training, data tools, and a quality assurance team. Members pressed her on the causes of the error rate, the role of the SPACES software system, and the need for accountability and improvements. Finally, Dirk Wilkie reported the state laboratory project reached substantial completion on June 12 and is on budget at about $69.95 million, though a service elevator had to be redesigned because it was too small for equipment.

Transcript Highlights:

• It will be an awesome training facility for our fire science students. Aviation maintenance.
• The assessment, the training.
• Chair, members of the committee, so yes, there is training offered.
• So, yes, there is training offered.
• , but they'll be more successful in their high-level instruction through AP training.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• licensure training because of the nurse licensure compact.
• I mean, should orthos surgeons and residents be training on nutrition?
• residents be training on nutrition? residents be training on nutrition?
• <00:10:53.120> on know that uh two hours of training on know that uh two hours of training
• My name is Laura Arnold, and I am a Minnesota-trained registered nurse.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 1925, which would have Minnesota join the nurse licensure compact. Rep. Schumacher described the bill as a way to improve workforce flexibility, telehealth, care coordination, and border-community access, while maintaining safeguards such as the same licensure exam and federal background checks. He also said the compact could help retain Minnesota-trained nurses who currently leave for neighboring compact states. Several members questioned whether the compact would weaken Minnesota’s standards or actually solve staffing problems, and some raised concerns about outside states’ differing practice rules and continuing education requirements. Supporters, including a nurse leader, a travel nurse, a business group representative, and a hospital nursing leader, testified that the compact would ease staffing shortages, speed hiring, support telehealth, and reduce administrative burdens. Opponents, including nurses and union representatives, argued it could lower standards, not address root causes like unsafe staffing and turnover, and could create risks for patients seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care. The committee also considered two related amendments tied to rural health transformation recommendations. The A1 amendment would have required two hours of continuing education on nutrition for physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses; members criticized it as government overreach, unrelated to many specialties, and an attempt to chase uncertain federal funding. The amendment failed on a voice vote. The A2 amendment would have reinstated the presidential fitness test in schools and allowed parents to opt out; it also failed. A3, which updated the compact bill’s effective date language from 2025 to 2026, was adopted. Members noted the bill also contained an appropriation and might need referral to other committees if it advanced. The committee then began hearing public testimony on HF 1925, with witnesses split between support and opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• training of whoever it is followup also training of whoever it is from<00:28:13.360> the<00:28
• <00:28:24.000> I that's in the initial and the training I that's in the initial and the training
• A it's a it's a button long of training.
• In active duty training pay. >> Thank you. Any other questions?
• >> In active duty training pay. >> In active duty training pay.

Bills: HB187, HB341, HB4, HB175, HB326

Keywords: HB187, court fees, docket fee, sheriff's fund, sheriff's office, jail operations, law enforcement, county sheriff, court filing fees, Alabama Code 12-19-312, solicitor's fund, clerk's fund, forensic services trust fund, budget flexibility, public safety, municipal court, district court, circuit court, cosmetology, makeup application

Transcript Highlights:

• So this I think puts in place the training that'll be necessary moving forward.
• It also brings in some credits for past training.
• time you need because you've already had that training.
• So so people that maybe you've training.
• will also lower the amount of training will also lower the amount of training time<00:10:32.720>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Then he talked to her about... people by training culturally competent people by training culturally
• <00:01:28.280> indigenous<00:01:28.840> health by training indigenous health by training
• This is where we train our PhDs and our MD-PhDs.
• for approximately 1,700 residents and fellows that we train.
• for approximately 1,700 residents and fellows that we train.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This facility is helping us train and retain the professionals that our communities desperately need.
• We urge the legislature to continue those investments in job training.
• We want to ensure that they don't move somewhere else, especially very highly trained individuals.
• The first thing that I bring to the table is the idea that we can, in fact, train a workforce.
• This is very important in medical training.

Transcript Highlights:

• Under current statute, land surveyors in Texas may not operate as a surveyor in training unless they
• That is why proper training and education for elevator personnel is so critical.
• Yet in the state of Texas we do not require those individuals working on them to have proper training
• There are so many occupations that require hours upon hours of training and education in order to be
• Regardless of the permit type, retailers have processes, trainings, and safeguards in place to ensure

Transcript Highlights:

• In Massachusetts, we do have various training schools.
• There are six training schools specific in Massachusetts that deliver this product, but quite frankly
• In Massachusetts, we do have various training schools.
• There are six training schools specific in Massachusetts that deliver this product, but quite frankly
• However, with all our training, we're more than capable of doing this, performing this correctly.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation held a hybrid hearing on 36 bills covering aviation, commercial vehicles, school buses, veterans license plates, and related transportation issues. Chair Jim Arciero and Senate Chair Brendan Crighton outlined the hearing procedures, then the committee heard testimony on a range of measures, including a bill to modernize alternative student transportation for vulnerable students such as those covered by McKinney-Vento, foster children, and students with disabilities; a bill on unmanned aerial systems that would define drones and restrict weaponization, interference with aircraft, and certain surveillance; and a bill addressing airplane noise and reporting at Beverly Regional Airport. Supporters of the student transportation bill argued it would update outdated school bus requirements while preserving safety standards, while drone-related testimony was split between sponsors and public safety advocates who supported stronger restrictions and industry representatives who warned the bills could conflict with federal law and harm legitimate commercial uses. The committee also heard testimony on workforce and school transportation bills. Representatives and industry witnesses supported a proposal to create a grant program and career outreach for the trucking industry, citing a persistent driver shortage and the importance of trucking to the state’s economy. Teamsters Local 170 supported a bill to ease unemployment job-search requirements for school bus drivers and monitors who are expected to return to work within a short period, saying the current rules create unnecessary burdens during summer layoffs. Another school transportation bill would create an under-the-hood exception for CDL licensing of school bus drivers; several chiropractors testified in support, saying they already perform DOT-style exams and should be explicitly authorized to do school bus driver medical certifications. Veterans-related testimony focused on license plate and disability-definition bills. Advocates supported a Medal of Fidelity license plate for Gold Star families and a separate bill to create an air medal plate. The Office of the Veteran Advocate testified in favor of revising the state’s definition of disabled veteran for RMV purposes, arguing the current language is tied to special monthly compensation categories and does not adequately reflect modern service-connected disabilities, including invisible wounds. The American Legion also urged clarification of the definition, while opposing a separate women veterans plate on the grounds that it could divide veterans unnecessarily. The committee took no votes during the hearing and ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• Training has been strengthened and changed.
• I'm wondering, just like for the leadership team, trainings, culture trainings, trauma-sensitivity trainings
• and executive training, and that is one of my expectations for the incoming superintendent, that not
• And, Representative, I would add to, we are retooling our entire training and education department, not
• I'm a psychiatric physician with additional training in forensic psychiatry as well as public policy.

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The joint Senate and House Behavioral Health committees held an informational meeting focused first on the Oregon State Hospital (OSH). OHA Director Sajal Hathi introduced the hospital’s incoming permanent superintendent, Sean Murphy, and praised interim superintendent Jim Deagle for stabilizing operations, restoring CMS compliance, and helping drive a culture change centered on safety, accountability, and transparency. Deagle and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amit Bavon described OSH’s role as the state’s highest-level forensic psychiatric hospital, the patient populations it serves, its partnerships with courts, counties, jails, hospitals, and advocates, and recent leadership changes across the hospital. They also reported improved accreditation and regulatory status, including Joint Commission accreditation and CMS compliance, and said the hospital is now using daily safety huddles, incident review meetings, stronger escalation procedures, and revised seclusion/restraint practices to reduce risk and improve oversight. Members pressed hospital leaders on past seclusion practices, asking how prolonged seclusions could have occurred under federal standards. Leaders said they could not explain past decisions but emphasized that current leadership has changed processes, training, reporting, and oversight so that seclusion and restraint are reviewed in real time and cannot be normalized. Questions also covered staffing, falls, and future planning. OSH said it is generally staffed to budget, though it still has RN and mental health technician vacancies and is working on recruitment, training, and better staffing distribution. Hathi said the hospital is building a public dashboard with key performance and safety metrics, including workforce data, and described the long-term goal as a consistently safe, disciplined, high-functioning institution that responds quickly to mistakes and remains accountable to the public. The committee then shifted to an informational overview of civil commitment. Oregon Judicial Department representative Chanah Newell explained the civil commitment process, including who can initiate it, the role of community mental health providers and courts, the five-day timeline to hearing, and the standards for danger to self, danger to others, and inability to meet basic needs. She summarized changes made in House Bill 2005, including revised statutory language and new provisions allowing a second diversion period, but cautioned that the data are too early to show clear trends. Testimony from NAMI Oregon’s Chris Bonif and psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Lopez argued that Oregon still relies too heavily on jails and state hospital commitments because the broader community system lacks enough treatment, housing, and less restrictive alternatives. They urged the legislature to focus on upstream services, supported housing, and possible outpatient commitment tools so people can receive treatment before reaching crisis. The meeting ended with acknowledgment that additional reports and follow-up discussions are expected, including on residential treatment capacity and related behavioral health system reforms.